History of the Bourbon Open Tournament

The original Old Kentucky Home Golf Course was constructed after Russell Downs took the job as caretaker at the state park on January 31, 1927, when the land was little more than a woodland. He and a group of men started clearing and cleaning the land with everything being done by hand, a team of horses and a log chain. It took approximately one year to clear, to make way for building greens and fairways.

On July 17, 1928, a commission made up of 22 volunteers, including some of Bardstown 's most prominent citizens, signed a charter "agreeing to clear, seed and put in condition for use as a golf course certain land on the OKH farm and lease said land for a period of five years for the sole and only purpose of using same as a golf course and landing field for airplanes."

The course officially opened on August 15, 1928. It was on this same course that the Bourbon Open Golf Tournament was born in May 1945. Following World War II, in an effort to keep the course from becoming a cornfield due to suppressed interest, three local businessmen, Charles Despain, Lee Grigsby, and Ed Abell developed the idea for this special golfing event. DeSpain, an executive with Heaven Hill Distillery, donated his famous bourbon for prizes. Grigsby got busy and found 35 players to participate and the Bourbon Open became a reality.

Wilford Wehrle, a four-time Wisconsin amateur tourney champ, captured that first event with a 77.

In 1947, the tournament was cancelled. However in 1948, Bill Samuels, then President of the newly formed Old Kentucky Home Country Club, President of Makers' Mark Distillery and a direct descendent of one of the original commission members, revived the Bourbon Open.

The Bourbon Open began to flourish once more, and has maintained continued success for more than 72 years.

Not many small town golf tournaments can claim such diverse guests as J. Edgar Hoover, the former FBI director, and Foster Brooks, the comedian. This tournament, which in the 1960s was featured by Sports Illustrated Magazine, has counted as guests and players such names as legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, U of L basketball coach Denny Crum, golf professional Gay Brewer, famed WKU basketball coach Ed Diddle and Governors, Lawrence Wetherby and Paul Patton.

Local celebrities have also played throughout the tournament's history, including Terry Meiners, Sean Woods, Fred Cowgill, Jay Cardosi, Ralph Beard, Rick VanHoose, Gary Gupton and Tony Cruise to name a few.

Each year, hundreds of golfers from around the country and abroad converge on Bardstown and The Old Kentucky Home Country Club the third weekend in May for what associated press writer Kyle Vance described as "one of this nation's most novel links larks."

Jon D. Chesser, CPA

331 Townepark Circle, Suite 101

Louisville, KY 40243

502.583.9587

FAX 502.237.0411 jon@jchesser-cpa.com

Mailing address: P.O. Box 816

Bardstown, KY 40004

942 Chambers Blvd, Bardstown, KY 40004 www.umamisushi.net

T. (502) 331-0179

F. (502) 331-0286

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